Monday, March 12, 2012

We wanted something to serve with the Tamal en Cazuela and so I decided to see if these Ten Minute Rolls really only took ten minutes. Unfortunately, I forgot to time myself, mainly because the soup took longer than ten minutes to make. However,

they were quick (heating the oven was the most time-consuming step),

they were a fantastic way to use up the mayonnaise in the fridge (which lasts far too long in our house),

I didn't have to cut in shortening (always a plus in my book),

it was a small batch so there weren't any leftovers (for some reason my family only likes "hot out of the oven" rolls)

and, while they were more biscuits than rolls, they tasted great.

Ten Minute Rolls/Biscuits

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 - 1/3 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients, then stir in the mayonnaise and milk. Plop into six greased muffin tins. Bake at 425° for 8-10 minutes. Serve hot.

Variation: Use 1/4 cup cornmeal in place of 1/4 cup flour. Divide into four pieces and bake on cookie sheet.

I tried a new recipe yesterday, that reminded me of Company Potatoes, only made in the crockpot. They were just as delicious!

Line your crockpot with foil. Layer slices of onions, mushrooms, potatoes, cheddar cheese and butter. Repeat. Fold the foil over the seal a bit then cook for 8-10 hours on low. I used 2 onions, 4 large mushrooms (I would have used more if I had them), 6 potatoes, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 cup butter. And that makes about 6 servings.

The next recipe to try in the Columbia Cookbook was Tamal en Cazuela or, in English, Fresh Grated Corn Mush. The Spanish name is much more appealing, don't you think? It called for grated corn, and mentioned that it could be found in the frozen section of the Latin market. Well, we couldn't find any already prepared, so that meant we had to grate the corn ourselves. It took 20 ears of corn to get the 5 cups we needed. And that meant two trips to the store, because I figured 10 ears would be enough. So, now you know, one ear of corn yields 1/4 cup grated corn (and 1/2 cup of regular corn kernels).

This splatters - notice I removed my glasses!

It really does look like mush.

This makes a lot - use the Dutch oven.

Lots of onions, green pepper and garlic.

Marinate the pork for several hours and then brown it in some peanut oil.

Before the grated corn was added.

So, basically if you want to make this, marinate 1 1/2 pounds of pork overnight (in a mixture of 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste). Brown the pork in some peanut oil; drain and set aside. Sauté 4 chopped onions, 2 chopped green peppers and 4 garlic cloves in the oil, then add the pork, 2 cups of tomato sauce, and 2 bay leaves. Cook until the pork is tender. Then stir in your 5 cups of grated corn and 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour. Makes 8 servings.

A few months ago we tried a very similar recipe. It was much easier to make and tasted just as delicious. Here it is: